Carolyn Hax, author of 'Tell Me About It -- Lying, Sulking, Getting Fat and 56 Other Things Not to Do While Looking for Love,' writes her advice column for The Washington Post. / Gannett

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Carolyn Hax
The Washington Post

Dear Carolyn: My parents are wonderful people, and they have been kind to allow my sister and me to move home due to the recession/higher education.

However, my mother has shifted her overprotective nature from "good intentions" to "overbearing," wherein she feels she can dictate whom I associate with.

I can understand this for a teenager, but now that I am in my late 20s, I think I am more than capable of deciding whom I associate with. I have always been a good student, have an accomplished resume and pristine record, have never been into the party scene, and have well-mannered and mature ...